Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are Back Together, and We Can’t Look Away

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez on location for the film “Jersey Girl” in Manhattan in 2002.Credit…James Devaney/WireImage via, Getty Images

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck first started dating in 2002, then broke up after a brief engagement. This summer found both celebrities newly (and briefly) single, and — as photos of kisses at restaurants, on yachts and on J. Lo’s own Instagram confirmed — passionately reunited. “Bennifer” is yet again the portmanteau of the moment. They’re the couple of the summer. And the internet can’t get enough.

But beyond the paparazzi shots and the tabloid headlines, what lies at the heart of our obsession with this couple? Why does Bennifer have such a hold on us, especially at a moment when there’s so much else going on? And what will happen if they break up?

Listen to this conversation between Dodai Stewart, a deputy editor, and Michael Gold, a Metro reporter, as they try to get to the bottom of our fixation with Bennifer.

In this podcast episode:

• Dodai Stewart, a deputy editor for Narrative Projects at The New York Times.

• Michael Gold, a reporter on the Metro desk. (Dodai says Michael is “the most online person” she knows.)